Dark Side
by Foxys
Summary: Their biggest enemy yet lies defeated. As Xemnas fades, another story unravels itself. How will Sora, Riku and Kairi defeat this new enemy? Friends now enemies, enemies turning into friends. Forbidden powers rise again and history repeats itself. (More mature approach to the story, so expect some language and/or serious stuff) - HIATUS -
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

Hey there, fellow KH fanfic reader. How you doing? This fic is my first one to be posted online since I started writing. Be honored, you god forsaken twats (I love every single one of you). Reviews are appreciated but not necessary.

I hope I can deliver a wonderful reading experience to you.

Cheers,

Foxys

(Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters including ,but not limited to, the ones used here. They belong to Square Enix or whatever. If they were mine, KH3 would be out already)

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Chapter.1 - Prologue

It was finally over.

Sora and Riku both stood strong, panting from exhaustion after the gruesome battle between them and their most fearsome enemy, staring at the abyss and Xemnas, while his body faded into nothingness. A sense of acomplishment overcame the two young boys as their most powerful enemy yet turned into dust. Xemnas, however, remained impassive.

"One such as myself will never be truly defeated. I may be absent in the upcoming events, keybearer, but I vow to return as your worst nightmare. Until we see each other again, farewell." He said, his expression never wavering. He was defeated, yet calm.

"You won't be missed, white haired weirdo!" Sora shouted, glaring daggers as if the Nobody could still harm him and his friends. Riku, stood quietly, as it was his usual attitude, but seemed to contemplate the possibilities the future held. It was better to be cautious. Finally fading away, Xemnas ghostly form left the world of the living. Slowly, but surely, the scenery was getting darker as reality tried to return to its natural form, breaking any control the Nobody's power had left. The world turned black as darkness engulfed everything, shattering reality and reforming it.

Both boys were now standing at The Town That Never Was.

Looking pleased, Sora said "At least we weren't teleported to some alternate keyblade dimension" smiling as usual, like nothing happened. Dismissing his weapon, he placed one arm over Riku's shoulder, easing the tension a little bit. Riku, however, still tensed over the words left behind by Xemnas.

"Let's go, Sora. I don't like this place". Or the memories related to it, Riku let that part go unvoiced. It was no secret the life he had before returning to his friends side.

"Sure, I'll race ya!" replied Sora, suddently in a even better mood and ready for a race to see who would be the first to get to the gummy ship. Without warning, the brown haired kid sprinted as fast as he could, leaving his friend behind, laughing loudly.

Riku, remained cautious, chasing Sora at his own pace, sometimes looking over his shoulder. What did Xemnas meant by "upcoming events"? Sora's worst nightmare? He couldn't help thinking things weren't over as they first thought after defeating the enemy. A shadow creeping atop of a skyscraper, the usual building that made up the scenery in the Town That Never Was, watched silently, undetected by the boys.

"A little worried are we, Riku?" It whispered "You should be". Laughing silently, the shadowed creature vanished into darkness, leaving no trace of its existence or the unheard threats that now weight upon small, young shoulders.

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Introduction chapter 2.0

I had to come back and re-write this, mostly because it was too short and lacked detail. Just so you know, the chapters are -way- bigger.

'til next time!


	2. Chapter 2 - New beginning

I just noticed how writing can be really frustrating yet entertaining. I wrote this chapter 3 times before deciding I should trim out unnecessary details which weren't relevant to the plot, making this a quicker, cleaner read. I'm planning on pursuing the same concept for all future chapters.

Without further ado, here's chapter 2! Enjoy!

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Chapter 2 - A new beginning

Sora ran as fast as he could to reach the gummy ship first, like hell he would lose a race to Riku! Not anymore! But the white haired boy didn't make it easy. Sora had a sort of an unfair headstart but he was already catching up. Damn him and his long legs, the boy thought.

They were now toe-to-toe, throwing plenty of punchs at each other, trying to delay the competition if only by a second. Along the way, they had to stop briefly to take down some rogue low level nobodies. The older, wiser boy noticed how the creatures were acting hazy and randomly, contradicting their previous organized behaviour. That made him slightly worried, but it was just too much fun racing like this so he soon shrugged it off. Despite the previous events, Sora was having a wonderful time and so was Riku, as the boy had a grin playing around his lips. They both ran around obstacles, jumped from building to building and enjoyed themselves in a way they couldn't in a long time after the ups and downs of their separation.

The Gummy ship was now fairly close and thus began the final strech, Sora trying even harder to win.

"See you at the ship, Riku!" He screamed as he jumped up, gaining momentum to slide down a wall which lead to a shortcut. The other boy wasn't impressed by the display of acrobatics by his friend. On the contrary, he smirked as he kicked a small stone that was laying on the floor directly at Sora, which made him lose all mid-air balance he had.

"WAAAAA-" that was all the brown-haired boy could say before faceplanting a few feet away from the ship. Riku, on the other hand, was standing triumphant with a victorious smile on his face.

"Better luck next time, slowpoke!" He jokingly said before heading into the ship.

"It wasn't fair!" Sora accusingly pointed at the other boy's half body, since he was already midway boarding. After picking himself he heard his friend reply, the voice echoing through the metalic hull of the ship.

"Like your little headstart?" Well, that was pretty unfair even by "play-time" standards. That made the complaints dial down to silent mumbles and pouting, much to Riku's content.

The ship was a fairly big one, having all sorts of cannons and laser guns ready to obliterate any and all enemies they could and most certainly would encounter in their journey between worlds. No matter where they went, it would soon turn into a warzone against the heartless and nobodies. Not that it bothered anyone aboard the ship since all the adventures they had culminated in this single point where they could have fun, play games and be care free, now that their enemy was no more.

After both boys sat down, each taking a seat in the back since the others already took place at the front rown, they were welcomed by an absurd amount of kisses from a redhead, an angry puff from a duck and a big smile from a goof.

"I missed you two so much! I want to know everything about your adventures, the places you've been, the people you've seen! Oooh, it must've have been amazing!" Kairi managed to say everything in record time amidst delivering kisses.

"Yeah, amazing! What took you so long to get here, anyway?!" Donald stood angrily, slightly glaring at the reunion but also feeling warm and tingly inside.

"Gorsh, Donald, they were just havin' a bit of fun!" Goofy happily replied "Ain't nothing wrong with that! Ahyuk!" Soon, he joined Kairi and hugged the boys to his heart content.

"Okay, guys, it's a nice reunion and all - Kairi, I'm trying to talk here" And thus ended the barrage of kisses as the girl was now pouting slightly "Thanks. Anyway, we should really get going. I don't want to stick around to see what will happen to this place now that Xemnas and his trupe aren't keeping it together anymore." Riku said, looking out the window with a somewhat worried expression on his face.

"Thank you! It seems someone here uses their brain properly!" The duck said, throwing his wings up as to show his annoyance. It failed when Kairi mumbled something along the lines of "So cute!", receiving an angry "Qwak!" as a reply from Donald. Sora and Goofy both shrugged and smiled happily at the two.

"Yeah, we should get going" Sora quickly added in, much to Donalds content. This time, he looked at Kairi and Riku and finished "But this time, we go together." The trio smiled, happy to finally be together after so long, after many trials and hardships. They would make this hard earned time together count. It would be their second chance. They could finally go home. It would be a new beginning. A new life.

Perhaps a short one.

A black figure, now standing atop the gummy ship, quickly punctured the laser guns and cannons with a set of sharp, midnight black claws rendering most of them useless, undetected by everyone inside the Gummy ship.

"Can't make it too easy on ya, can I? Nehehehe, this is going to be fun!" It said, before morphing back into the shadows.

And so, the Gummy ship took flight and warped out of The Town That Never Was, and that, the passengers hoped, would be the last time they would ever lay eyes on it.

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I guess that gets the job done! The plot thickens! Muahahahah! Next chapter will have tons of intense moments, some shady stuff and much more! Yay!

I'm planning of having the next chapter up in a week. Leave a review so I can improve! :D

'til next time!


	3. Chapter 3 - Adventure

So, I decided to use a first person approach, a "P.O.V." of sorts, when it felt appropriate. I'll probably stick to it since it delivers a better reading experience, in my opinion. I apologize in advance for any minor grammar and spelling mistakes. I got sick for the second time this month and I just couldn't keep my eyes open enough time to revise this chapter.

As promised, much bigger chapter with some character development and the start of something BIG.

Have fun reading!

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Chapter 3. Adventure

"What in the world is going on?!" It was all Donald managed to say before another heartless hit the ship. "Most of our weapons aren't working for so- QWAK!" Anoter explosion sent them flying in a quick spiral, out of their path. All passengers were thrown out of their seats, some stumbling and hitting each other accidentaly while rolling around with the ship's momentum. When the ship finally regained some form of balance, their course had already been altered again and they were now in a colision course. A huge meteor, towering easily over the ship, approached rapidly.

"Eyes on the road, EYES ON THE ROAD!" Sora yelled at the top of his lungs, alerting the others. Riku didn't know exactly how to stir the ship, but due to all that previous fuss rolling around the ship, he was the closest to the controls. Quickly grabing them and pulling, he managed to dodge the big rock, flying around it's surface. Unfortunatly, smaller meteors were gravitating around the bigger one and now those were headed straight at the Gummy vessel. Donald managed to get up in time, shoving Riku out of the chair to stir the ship out of the way, narrowly avoiding multiple potentialy fatal crashes. Staying clear of the heartless and other rocks floating around, the crew finally managed to catch their breath.

Goofy, the one in charge of monitoring the overall status, reported."Gorsh, we're in a bad shape, fellas! I dun' think the gummy ship can take much more beating!" He was hitting buttons and watching monitors like his life depended on it. Which was the case, actually.

"I guess that much is obvious. We should try to land somewhere close by to repair this flying bathtub" Riku added in, quickly regretting the last part when an angry duck almost went berserk. Much to everyone's well-being, Kairi stepped in.

"Okay, guys, let's calm down for a second. Where are we, anyway?" The girl raised a valid point. Space travel was a double-edged sword. It could shorten the distance between worlds, making previously impossible journeys into hour long travels, but it had it's downsides. If the ship didn't follow a specific route, they could end up lost in space. Not to mention the portals laying around, teleporting anything that comes close-by, no one knew where to.

"Ahyuk, we're kinda close to a world. The thingy here isn't detecting any heartless!" Goofy scanned the instruments, making the best out of their use. "That's good, right?"

"We should land there to repair the ship. Don't know about you guys but I don't want to float around in space until some giant-spacey-heartless decide we're dinner." Sora said while trying to buckle up on his seat. Kairi and Riku quickly did the same thing, now very aware of the dangers and the possibility of rolling around that might happen on the way. Just as everyone was beginning ro relax on their seats, another explosion shook the entire ship. A group of heartless appeared behind the gummy vessel, shooting explosive rounds at it.

"Hold on, kiddos. This will be a bumpy ride!" Donald said, smiling at the challenge ahead, taking control control of the ship, quickly dodging the projectiles and setting course to the ever closer world.

**~~##~~**

Sora

"Ouch..." We managed to land somewhat safely. Well, I wouldn't call it "landing" in the first place. More like a "somewhat controled friendly-crash". I had to admit Donald was a pretty good pilot, managing to get us all here in one piece. Guess I'll thank him later, after I'm done soothing my back pain I just got from rolling around in the dirt after our ship "kinda" fell apart as we "gently" touched down. Everyone seemed to have their own little pains to deal with. Except Goofy, he was already up and at it, smiling and helping Kairi up. The ship, sadly, is in a bad shape. One of it's wings broke down, gummy blocks scattered everywhere. The engine is somehow still intact, but it was making weird noises and there was smoke everywhere around it.

After picking myself up, I got a chance to take a look at where we world looks... boring. We landed on top of a mountain, perhaps too close to the edge if you ask me, giving me the chance to look far in the horizon. There was dirt, whirlwinds and tornadoes everywhere. That was it.

"Hey, guys! Guess what? We landed on a giant dirt ball with no gummy materials whatsoever! Yay!" A bit too sarcastic, but hey, I needed the distraction and Kairi is smiling. She's in a good mood atleast. She meant to say something, but Donald cut her off.

"I'm having a bad feeling" He tried putting his hands over his eyes, as if it would help focus his eyesight, scanning the surroundings for a potential threat. Kairi didn't miss the chance to squeal a little and oh boy, did Donald get mad. Riku was silent, standing away from the group and looking somewhere, having a pensative expression on his face. That wasn't good.

"Hey, Sora, come here." Not good, for sure. As I approached him, an odd feeling crossed my heart and I could feel the keyblade resonating with it. For some reason or another, it felt familiar. Like a long lost friend. "Do you feel that?" Riku asked me.

"Yeah. Not gonna lie, it's just plain weird." There was no reason for me to hide anything from my friend, so I just told him how it felt. "It's the same feeling I get everytime the keyblade decides I should guide my path towards a certain goal. Happened once before, when you were... Kinda evil." Couldn't help but chuckle at that. So many things happened, new adventures, it felt like ages ago. Riku laughed a little too, a bit embaressed. Regaining his composure, he said.

"Well, I can say it's the exact opposite for me. It's like I can tell this thing or whatever doesn't want me there. Or anyone else for that matter." With a worried expression, he glanced at me "What do you want to do?" He was serious, I could tell, perhaps worried something bad would happen.

"I think I should go check it out. If the keyblade wants me to see it, it must be important." Maybe I was trusting the keyblade a little too much but I couldn't help it. I've never been one known to be cautious and just couldn't shake the feeling that was settling in my heart, quietly interacting with the keyblade. "I'll go ahead and do a quick scouting mission, General Riku! I'll be back in time for dinner!" I tried my best to give a proper salute towards my "superior". Guess it worked, he answered.

"Alright, corporal. If you fail to report to HQ Wrecked Mothership by nightfal, I'll have you peel potatoes for the rest of your miserable life. Dismissed!" He waved me off with a smile on his face. Yeah, I managed to make Riku smile. 100 points to me!

I took off, following the directions my heart gave me. On the way, several tornadoes and whirlwinds cutted me off, almost lifting me up sky high. There was plenty of room to run around so I had no major problems. As I approached my destination, judging by how intense the same feeling became, there was almost nowhere to go. As I dodged a tornado, two were headed my way, and another two or three after that. It was a nightmare. Eventually, a huge whirlwind caught me, launching me hig in the air. Not my manliest moment when I started screaming. After being practically vomited upwards by the giant wind force, I noticed a patch of land with no tornadoes or anything like that. It was in a high contrast compared to everything around it, being the only calm weather inside of what looked like an enormous storm of wind and dust. Gathering a little bit of magic, I managed to push myself there, landing in a not so elegant way. Who cares? It worked and I was standing.

My heart started pouding, the keyblade was in my hands without me calling for it, which was extremely weird if not a bad omen. Suddently, I realised I wasn't alone. A caped figure, armored and kneeling stood there, quietly observing me with it's own keyblade, much larger than mine. I could feel the raw power coming from it. Then it talked, with a voice that could be heard but at the same time made no sound.

"YOU. ARE NOT. PREPARED." The armored guy charged me, bringing down it's keyblade with massive weight behind it and I almost didn't parry it in time. I could barely hold on and the floor under me started to crumble by the raw power of the pressure I was being put on. The sound it made was absurdly loud, my ears started to ring. The stranger didn't give me time to breath as he continued to strike me, again and again, sending huge shockwaves across the terrain. I can't hold on much longer.

"Help!"

**~~##~~**

Riku

After Sora left, I could focus on fixing things. He was too much of a goof sometimes and had the attention spaw of a fly. No, even less than that. Maybe having him chasing a feeling around would give me some room to work with. Not like there was much to do besides fix the ship and leave as fast as we possibly can. But there lies the true problem: how can one obtain gummy materials in a world like this? With no heartless whatsoever? We should've thought this through before landing. I guess there wouldn't be much time to do it, considering how we were getting our asses kicked out there.

"Donald" I signaled the duck to come over, trying to break his furious qwaking, trying to make Kairi take back her cutesy comments about him. Good luck with that. As he approached me with a slightly annoyed expression, I continued. "We should start fixing this ship. But for that we need materials." At that, the engine crumbled down into a million blocks, Donald looking devasted "A lot of materials"

"What do you suggest?" The duck rubbed his temples with his feathery fingers, trying to calm down a little. Good thing Kairi didn't notice, or else another argument between him and her would surely happen.

"In all honesty, I doubt we'll find anything here. It was the safest spot to land, sure. But it's also the worst. We might have no way to repair the ship, as this world lacks the necessary materials." I tried glancing around one more time, in hopes of finding anything that might help. Again, I couldn't spot a thing besides dirt and wind. "Perhaps you could try contacting someone? King Mickey, maybe?"

"I can try, but the King rarely answers any calls, even from Queen Minnie." Donald walked away, snatching Goofy from Kairi's hugs and dragging him to what was left of the ship. As they started working, the redhead approached me.

"Hey" Oh, small talk. How I missed it. "How you doing? Where's Sora?" Of course she would ask about Sora. She never missed the chance to mother us both whenever she felt like it. It wasn't so bad, except that one time when she... Nah, better not remember it.

"I'm all good. Much better now that I'm amongst friends. Sora went that way" I pointed at the general direction he went. "To check something out, he should be back any second now." It was almost night. Time passed by fast or maybe this world didn't have a 24 hours day cicle. As I was about to lower my arm, a huge booming sound came our way alerting everyone. Soon after, a short series of tremors followed. The worst thing was: It came the same way Sora went.

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So Riku is sort of a cold guy. Sora is super enthusiastic. Kairi is... Kairi. Donald has anger issues. Goofy is a tryhard.

Lol joke. Yeah, had some fun with this chapter. I plan on keeping this "a chapter per week" thing. It fits my schedule and overall lazyness quite well.

Also, everytime someone reads this fic and doesn't review or send me a message with his/hers opinion, I die a little inside. I'm a zombie already.

See you next week!


	4. Chapter 4 - Questions

Intense fighting, yo! Shit gets real!

Early-ish chapter for you folks to enjoy! You know the drill, read it, review it and follow it if you feel like it!

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Chapter 4. Questions

Sora

How in the world is this happening? I just went toe-to-toe against Xemnas yesterday and I completely destroyed that giant douche. Sure, Riku helped me a little... But I'm no pushover! Then this weirdo in armor, another keyblade master by the looks of it, attracts me here and starts beating the living crap out of me. Everytime he brought down his weapon, it felt like a freaking mountain was coming down on top of me. His movements where too fast, I was barely able to keep up just to guard myself again and again, he showing no signs of fatigue. On contrary, it felt like he was going faster the longer the fight went on. I would have to figure something out soon or I'll be done for.

The world was beginning to mirror our battle. There were countless tornadoes spread across the platoon, adding to the already huge number of those spinning around, a sandstorm came out of nowhere and there were countless cracks and craters everywhere from the impact that came from the keyblades everytime they made contact. There was no way I could escape without help.

As I dodged to the left, barely avoiding a hit that left another giant crater on the floor, a billion questions came to my mind: Why is this guy so familiar? Why did the keyblade bring me here? Is it testing me or something like that? I figured we where past that, my adorable oversized key. What would happen if I lost to this guy? Why is he attacking me in the first place? Too many questions and no time to figure them out, too busy fighting for my life. My enemy's keyblade came down again, aiming for my shoulder. Just as I guarded, he flipped mid air and kicked my stomach. All strenght left me and it felt like I would throw up any second. Completely helpless, I dropped the keyblade and feel to my knees. I was hit again, this time on my head, with what felt like the guard of the keyblade. The world was spinning fast and my vision was getting darker, but I managed to blabber something barely audible.

"Why... are you doing this?" Trying to keep conscient, I thought of my friends waiting me back at the ship. I made a promise to return by nightfal and I intended to keep it. As I lifted my head trying to get a better view of the guy, he grabbed me by my neck and lifted me up. That was the first time he stood still long enough allowing me take in his physique, not just blurs. He was tall, taller than Riku and Goofy, entirely clad in a brown armor, addorning a red cape. His helmet had a big black visor, with what looked like pointy ears along it's sides. He emanated power. Raw, almost limitless power. I'm sure he could beat me, Riku, Goofy and Donald using one hand. Why was he going easy on me, then? More questions filled my mind, but they stopped as he answered my previous question with his soundless voice, essencially filling my head with it.

"The keyblade chooses it's masters in ways no one understands" Surprisingly, his voice was calm, contrary to the first time I heard it, when it was full with rage." But you are different. You're not it's true master. You're not prepared." I was beginning to get dizzy, gasping for air when he let me go. I feel to the ground and he kneeled in front of me, never letting his keyblade leave his strong hands "You overcame many obstacles and grew strong, Sora." Wait, how did he... "But your heart once harbored a great darkness. In time, you'll face it. You'll have two choices, accept it or destroy it." I could feel his gaze on me, an iron will behind it. A will to protect. But protect what? I couldn't say. "Steel your broken heart for the dangers that will come." He got up and walked back towards his original spot, placing his keyblade in front of him and kneeling down, placing his hands on top of the guard. It almost looked like he was praying.

Too surprised and still gasping for air a little, all I managed to say was "Who are you?" No answer, but the weird feeling that attracted me here in the first place slowly faded away. I could feel the keyblade's power quietly humming around my heart protectively, almost as it was worried. Now that was new, the keyblade showing emotions. I wonder what else it will do in the future. Oh, the future and the dangers to come, as the guy said. Deciding against a possible second round of helpless beating, I didn't bother pressing for answers, as I obviously wouldn't get them now, not from this guy. I couldn't help but worry, trying to understand what he said. What did he meant by "darkness"? That was Riku's thing and he was way past it and as far as I know, my heart never having harbored anything except the keyblade. Urgh, too many questions. I could feel my brain steaming.

Night was approaching fast, better head back before anyone gets worried. I was pretty beaten up but I could get there in one piece. Probably.

If only there wasn't a giant sandstorm closing in on me.

"Great..."

**~~##~~**

Riku

There was no way anyone would get to Sora like this. A giant sandstorm raged, clouding everyone's vision and making it impossible to navigate. Taking Kairi's hand, I guided her to the scraps of our ship seeking shelter alongside Goofy and Donald, trying my best not to trip on the gummy pieces lying around. Easier said than done. I covered my nose, ears and mouth with fabric, doing the same to Kairi afterwards, giving us some protection against the sand hitting us so relentlessly. I raised my voice above the thundering sound of the storm, now nearing the ship, saying:

"We should settle down and wait for the storm to pass" Reaching Donald and Goofy, placing Kairi safely between them. Kairi took the opportunity to drop de fabric covering her face, as to breath a little better. Regaining her composition, she retorted quickly:

"But Sora is in danger, Riku! We can't just do nothing! What if he gets hurt?!" Concern written all over her face. Even if she had a valid point, rushing into a violent sandstorm would most likely get someone seriously injured or even worse.

"I understand, Kairi. But gorsh, I can't see a thing!" Goofy added in before I could do it. He's smarter than he looks "Besides, Sora is a big boy. He can take care of himself! Ahyuk!" Pretty good argument, considering how Sora mastered the keyblade. Even if it kind of hurts to admit, the brow haired boy was stronger than Riku not only in combat, but also in his heart. Surely he would be fine. So what is this cold feeling settling on my stomach?

"Guysh, I managed to contact King Mickey. He should be here any minute!" Donald said, much to everyone's relief. He would be able to fix the ship or at least transport everyone off this abandoned, barren world. That king was a resorceful one, full of surprises.

On the other hand, Kairi was pouting, unhappy with the group's unspoken decision to sit this one out because of the storm interference, her arms crossed in front of her and looking to the ground. Funny how her expression changed so fast between that and one of realization. Suddently, she got up, placed the fabric on her face again and said:

"If you're not coming, I'm going alone!" With determined eyes, she left racing into the directions of the booming sounds we heard before anyone could protest. The only thing I could do was drop my shoulders, sighing exhausted, passing a hand on my hair before running after her, hearing the protests of a really angry duck and the worried whimpers of a big goof.

**~~##~~**

Kairi

These boys were idiots! Idiots, idiots, idiots! If Sora got hurt really bad, what would they do? Take him to a medic? In this world? Kiss his "boo boo" away? No, that wouldn't work. I wouldn't let anything bad happen if I could help, even a little.

Running as fast as I could, screaming Sora's name. The storm muffled all sounds, the only thing I could hear was my own breathing and the fast wind passing near my ears, making buzzing sounds. This wouldn't stop me, never!

I know that I'm weak. That I'm not capable of anything. I can't summon a keyblade or control the darkness like Riku. But I would not let myself become a burden to them. I would do the simple things these extraordinary boys couldn't do, because they were such idiots! Running some more, I found a cave on the right side of the mountain. Deciding to step in for some protection, since my legs and arms were getting scrapped pretty bad by the storm, I headed there full speed, still screaming Sora's name, in a vain attempt to find him or get his attention. I could hear Riku's muffled protests, as he followed me through the sandstorm, trying to keep up to not lose me from his sight probably, which was a really hard thing to do considering how bad the storm was getting. I gestured Riku, trying to get his attention on me. When he looked my way again, with a questioning expression, I pointed towards the cavern. He waved his head up and down, agreeing we should get some rest from the storm.

The way there was rather uneventful, the climb wasn't steep, so we could easily walk. The bigger problem was how would we find Sora if we were stuck in a cave. Getting into the cavern, I saw a light there. Slowly approaching it, I could tell it was a floating ball of fire. Convinient, since there was no wood to burn here, but who lit the fire...?

"Hey, Kairi! Long time no see! Hehe" Sora waved weakly, his arm shaking a lot in the process. He was all beaten up, tattered clothes and bruises covered his body.

"IDIOOOOOOT!" Was all I managed to scream before Riku almost slammed into me, having tripped on a rock due to pure shock of me yelling. I guess I would have to apologize later. "What were you thinking? What if you got seriously hurt?" Approaching him, slightly poking at his wounds to see how bad they were "Scratch that, you ARE seriously hurt!" Sora shrugged before tensing everytime I examined one of his wounds. I was so focused that I didn't notice the giant keyhole appearing at the far end of the cave, a rather small mouse with roundy ears coming through it.

I almost had a heart attack when he touched my arm, gesturing me to let him have a look.

"Oh, Sora, where did you get this wounds?" King Mickey looked worriedly at him, running his hand over his arm gently, assesimg the damage "Alright, I'll fix you up in no time!" Summoning his golden keyblade, the mouse quickly cast a Curaga spell, closing off the wounds and soothing the bruises. In a couple of minutes, Sora was back up, smiling and energitic like his usual self.

"Thank you so much, King Mickey, I don't know what I would do..." He was cut off by the mouse, whose expression was serious, his hand lifted indicating he wished to talk with no interference.

"You met him, didn't you?" He said, looking at Sora with his brows furrowed. At that, Sora dropped his smile and looked at the King with a blank expression "What happened and what did he tell you?" Mickey pressed on for answers, not letting Sora leave his sight.

Who's "him"? And why did the conversation turn awkward all of a sudden?

Sora shifted his weight from one foot to the other, uncomfortable with the situation as well. "Well... I don't really know what happened. I'm still processing what just happened" At that, he ran a hand over his spiky hair, trying to hide his stress at the questions, probably wondering why the mouse was acting so contrary to his usual self. "So please, will you give me some time?" He looked at the King, expectation and hope in his eyes. It was so awkward to just stand there watching those two talk like there was some big secret between the two. Riku was feeling the same, judging by his cocky posture and arms crossed in front of him.

Sighing at that, relaxing his shoulders and calming his expression, Mickey said "Alright, but we'll talk about it afterwards, ok?" Now smiling, he opened his arms and said happily "So what'd you say we get ourselves out of here?" At that, he dropped his arms a little "But where's Donald and Goofy?"

"We... Kind of left them behind... At our ship... Or what was left of it..." I said awkwardly, locking my hands together and looking away, embaressed. Riku was scratching his nose while looking at the cave ceiling, like he had nothing to do with it. I will so punch him for that later!

"You what?" King Mickey said, wide eyed, before rushing out of the cave and into the storm, surely to rescue the rest of our party.

At that moment, Riku, Sora and I exchanged questioning looks. Sora owed us some answers. And as his friends, we would be patient, we would wait until he felt like he should tell us, but we still needed to know what shook him so much.

Sighing, we sat down, patiently waiting for everyone to arrive so we could have a safe trip home. Oh, this trip back home was getting so tiring.

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Yay, big chapter. Are you having a good time reading it? It was a lot of fun to write!

Next time, a slight jump foward in time, more characters join in and a certain villain makes a comeback!

See you fellas next week!

Foxys, signing out.


	5. Chapter 5 - Vacation?

Hello again, fellas. As promised, more and more and more developments. Seriously, this stuff is getting harder. I'm adding depth to the characters and it's getting complicated to keep track of every thingie that ends up connecting in the long run. But hey, I'm enjoying writing this and I'm amazed at how many people are reading this. I'm humbled and honored.

**Nutella Man: **Yeah man(heh), chapters are actually steadly increasing in length/words. I'm adding a little over 300 to 400 words more than the last chapter at every update while keeping everything at a consistent pace. Not too slow and not too fast. Thanks for reviewing!

Read on, then.

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Chapter 5 – Vacation(?)

Sora

It had been a sad couple of months, to say the least. After we left that weird world behind ourselves three months ago, being saved by King Mickey and his magical keyblade portal (Note to self: I gotta learn how to do that sometime) and all, we were "courteously incarcereted" in Mickey's castle. The guys and I weren't so happy about it, to say the least. We wanted out of this adventurous life for a while, to return home and settle down for a nice vacation, but our friends had other plans. We were welcomed by the King in his gigantic throne room to discuss the matter the day before he planned on leaving. He was sitted on his throne and sighed as he saw us, gesturing for us to come closer. Donald and Goofy stood quietly by the steps, watching our every move with sad eyes and tense shoulders.

"I am truly sorry for putting your plans on hold like this Sora, Kairi and Riku" The King said, while looking sad himself " But I gotta check something out before letting you guys go " At that, he showed he was determined, hands formed into fists by his side "I won't let you be in any more danger than you already are or were before". Kairi was casting her gaze down, shoulders slumped and looking defeated. Riku and I weren't about to go down as easy as she did.

"Oh come on!" Riku threw his hands up "You seriously want us to wait here while you go aroud checking _something_? What _something_ is so important?" He looked at me for support, hoping I would go along his plea. And I did.

"He's right, Mickey" I said shily, but still firmly. I respect the mouse for who he is and what he represents, but it really bothered me how he was nagging at our lifes for no reason that I could think of. Placing a hand on my hip and summoning the keyblade on the other, I continued "And besides, I can defend myself. Riku's strong too. Even Kairi has some magical talent. Like, seriously, she's never hurt by anything!" Kairi raised her gaze and stared blankly at me just before poiting her tongue at me. "We can go, Mickey. We _should _ go. You know we deserve it" Letting the keyblade vanish, I looked at his eyes, trying to find some sort of gleam of pity, in hopes he would give in to our request. Sadly, he didn't. His tone changed to a more serious one, like an authority, and his brow furrowed.

"Like I said" He looked down to us, his eyes strangely devoid of emotions but still so full of them "I will not allow you to be in any danger and for that I must verify something. What it is or how it affects you is unimportant and should my fears prove false, I'll send word to the castle so you can grab the nearest gummy ship and go home. I'm sorry." He looked away, one of his hands massaging his temples, the other gesturing us to leave the room. Kairi tried to protest but Donald angrily qwacked at her, silencing her attempts. Riku looked at the King, a sad mask over his face.

"I thought you were better than this" Then took his leave. Mickey rested his hand back on the side of his throne, looking somewhat taken back by Riku's retort. I stood there, looking at Donald and Goofy for support, hoping they would see reason in our simple request. Sadly, they didn't. Donald was looking awfully stressed and Goofy didn't even lift his gaze as I left the room, hurt by their sudden distance attitude. We were supossed to be friends, weren't we? Why did this felt like it was my fault, somehow? My subconscious tried finding a reason as I walked the red carpet, heading to the exit, when it clicked. I knew the reason, or at least a part of it. Stopping and looking back, I raised a hand and started talking when the King interupted.

"Sora... Please" He gestured for me to leave, again.

"No, listen, I think I know why you're doing this." Mickey looked surprised, Goofy twitced a little and Donald crossed his wings, looking away "It's something about what that guy in armor said, right?" Mickey stared at me wide-eyed "About me and... darkness, isn't that right?" Now he jumped my way, quickly covering the distance between us, standing close to me never letting his eyes leave mine "I'm not... dark. I never had anything to do with it and you know it. I'm not about to ruin my little vacation from all this fighting by doing something stupid that involves darkness. Which I never did!" Awfully stressed at that moment, I looked at the duck and goof standing there like it had nothing to do with them "They know I'm strong. I defeated Xemnas and Riku helped me do it. We're powerful! You have no reason to do this at all!" I stomped the ground, my temper getting the best of me, which was quite rare. Donald and Goofy still stirred silently, uncomfortable but not saying a single word while Mickey approached me even more so, his eyes carrying an unspoken sadness.

"Sora, my boy, you've fought many battles. Many of which you are not even aware of." Placing his hands on top of mine, he continued "I wish I could make you understand but right now it's just too dangerous. The things you've heard from... that armored guy... may make no sense to you but they worry me greatly." I couldn't help but sigh and look away, shoving away any hope of going home to enjoy the beach's cool breeze and sea. The mouse was being too persistant. "I'll make it up to you, my boy. I promise you." With that, he dropped my hands and walked towards Donald and Goofy, mentioning them to follow him. "I'll be back before you know it." Summoning his keyblade, the king opened the keyblade portal behind the throne, whispering something to both of his followers before jumping into the portal, closing it behind him.

I stood still and watched the magician and the knight, expecting to see some reaction out of them. They've been quiet. Too quiet. But alas, they barely aknowledged me as both made their way to the exit, leaving me behind with an awkward discomfort and the notion I was being left behind.

Again.

**~~##~~**

Kairi

Spending time in the castle, talking to Queen Minnie and Daisy every now and then as well as their servants, musing over the garden and all that had it's charm. But it grew old fast. I was longing for the sun and the beach back home, the warm breeze and salty seas. It was so far but still so close. I understand that Mickey... King Mickey had his intentions but he could've at least explained his reasons to us. After all, it affected us more than anything or anyone.

The worst part wasn't how boring it was becoming to force a smile everyday and act like I was ok with this. The worst part was seeing how the recent events were eating away at Sora and Riku. Mainly Sora. The boys still runned around exploring things and the castle, fought from time to time, honing their skills in playful battles trying to instil some sort of comfort but I could see the sadness in their eyes. It was bothering me how they tried to shield me from it all. I swear I could feel just how bad Sora was feeling. Goofy and Donald avoided him now for no reason, when they were like closest friends not too long ago. It was getting to Sora. He would smile from time to time, mostly with Riku and me when we spent time together talking about something, anything at all. Sometimes, we would talk about home. Those were the times Sora got really quiet, quickly losing his flare and easy going attitude replacing it with a moodier one. Almost as he had grief and all he could feel was sorrow. He would place his knees in front of him, embrancing them and staring at nothing in particular, lost in tought, his eyes growing darker every single time. It was only a faint feeling at first, but it built up slowly until it reached the point he would stop talking. Riku noticed the change too and I was thankful he was sensitive enough to avoid the subject.

It was driving me mad and it was breaking my heart. There was nothing I could do but smile and hug him, not letting him see my own sadness at the sight of him suffering so much. The Queen and everyone around the castle also noticed how his behaviour was changing, reflecting his inner turmoil more and more, but they couldn't do anything about it except ask Sora how he was doing, a question he shrugged away with a half-hearted "I'm fine".

King or no king, Mickey's going to get an earful from me when he gets back. And he'll explain just what the hell are we still doing in this castle after 3 months! I'll teach him not to mess with my friends!

**~~##~~**

Riku

Boring. Boring. Boring. This castle was nothing but boring. All the days had been the same, Kairi getting better and being in the company of Queen Minnie made it easier for her but she still had that sad shadow in her eyes. Sora and I would spend most of our days training or competing against each other, as it was the only way to pass time and avoid losing what was left of our sanity.

Goofy and Donald were avoiding Sora for some reason or another, their shaddy attitude being something I never saw before from the two that usually were warm and close to him. It raised a lot of questions and most of them would go unanswered for the mouse that had the answers left the castle 3 months ago. Sora was trying his best to avoid confronting the two but I could see his growing frustration. It was like he tought they were holding him here on a dull purpose, not letting us enjoy the life we left behind. In a sense, it was true. They hadn't justified their means nor have they specified their ends. I could feel my own nerves grinding together, my darkness constantly nagging me for answers.

Today Sora and I would spar with all we had, away from the castle. We both came to realise it was the only way to let off some steam and forget about our problem if only for a second. On our way out to the forest, Goofy tried to join in the conversation only to receive a blank stare from Sora, leaving him behind with not so much as a word. Serves him right.

"Hey Sora, I think we're far away enough." I said to him, after we walked quite a ways from the castle. He was spacing out and only barely heard me.

"Uh... Oh. Yeah! Right... " He sighed and followed me in a denser part of the forest, where whatever damage we could end up doing would most likely go unnoticed. Parting ways with him and standing a few meters away from each other, I got his attention again.

"Rules are no low blows and if the other taps out, whatever happens, you stop. Clear? " He was awfully disconnected from the world, staring at the distance again. "Sora, are we clear?" I said again, now having his attention.

"Yeah, no low blows, tap outs, whatever." He got into his battle stance and summoned the keyblade, it's shape shining under the sunlight with a somewhat violent aura to it. That was new. "Let's just get down to it."

"As you wish. Just don't cry when I beat you up" I summoned my own weapon, Soul Eater, feeling it's trusted weight and resonating power, wanting for release as was the darkness inside me. We both stared at each other for a second, then dashing in with weapons foward.

Sora fainted an overhead blow while summoning a fireball, trying to throw me off to hit me with his magic. Too bad for him I could feel his power concentrating at the tip of the keyblade, signaling his attack. Stopping my foward dash, I side stepped and summoned my own magic to counter his. His fireball against my ice shards. They met in mid air and exploded, generating a shockwave, shaking the leaves of the nearby trees. Before the smoke could settle, Sora was already jumping in again, his expression now angry. That wasn't good. Sora never got angry. Not really.

That musing almost cost me the battle, as I barely raised Soul Eater to protect myself from his blow, surprised by just how much strength he put into it. He reacted quickly and using the momentum from his fall and my blade as support, he twirled in mid-air and kicking my stomach in the process, sending me flying. It hurt bad and the darkness inside me could feel his ill-intentions, urging me to pay back in the same coin. He was letting off some major steam then so would I. Gathering my strength, I shoved Soul eater down, halting any movements and using it as an anchor to turn the momentum around and swirl back at Sora. It caught him off-guard as he was still recovering from the last exchange, not having full balance of his body yet. I took the chance and striked his side in a tornado-like motion, his keyblade barely defending him from the sheer force of the blow as he was sent flying himself. I wouldn't make the same mistake as he did and took the chance to summon orbs of darkness to hurl at him while he was still somewhat defenseless. As all three orbs met their mark, a huge explosion occured from the impact, lifting dust and shaking trees even harder than before. That would leave a bruise or two in the morning. As the dust settled, I could see the shape of Sora's figure, his breathing heavy.

Then it came.

A sheer white light followed by darkness around it's sides, almost as they were dancing together around Sora as he stood up, his face twisted in a sickened glare full with rage.

Suddently, he wasn't there anymore.

The world spinned faster than I thought it was possible as he kicked my ribs. Judging by the pain, one or two broke from the impact. The pain it caused made me howl.

"Sora! Stop! Tap out!" I cried out, bracing my sides. As I glanced around to see my friend, his face was a sharp contrast of how it was before. I was utterly shocked. Instead of rage and hatred, it was calm. Too calm. His eyes were devoid of any emotion, which made me cringe. They were so wrong and didn't fit his caring and loving persona at all. It was almost as he was someone else entirely. "Sora... What..." Was all I managed to say before I actually saw the "rest" of him.

His clothes were tattered in black and white patterns, flowing around in strange motions as if light and darkness reigned over him in a delicate balance. He wasn't touching the ground, rather he was floating right above it, oozing with power, defying the very laws of the world. What I saw next made me stare wide eyed. I couldn't believe it. It wasn't _possible_!

There were two keyblades twirling behind him, levitating and humming silently. One of them was his old Kingdom Key, as he liked to call it. The other was... a sickened version of it. It's chain was ragged and spiky, like it was meant to hurt others. The guard of the keyblade also adorned quite a few... "acessories" that would most likely cause serious pain. The tip of this particular keyblade was also unusual, having a weird scythe-like protuberance instead of the crown shape. That thing was made to cause _pain_. I could feel the darkness in it. Something so raw and devoid of emotion it made me feel fear. Why does Sora have something like this? What does it feel like he's a completely different person? What is this power?

Just as the endless stream of questions made their way into my head, the pain from my sides made itself know again. I needed a Curaga spell or something stronger to fix this. Trying my best not to show my pain and keeping the fear in check, I shouted to Sora.

"Snap out of it! We're done! I'm injured and I need a high potion or a Curaga spell! NOW!" Shouting made it hurt even worse, but I had to. It felt like Sora needed to be awakened from whatever he was caught into. His eyes twitched with their usual light and his feet touched the ground, his clothes turning back to normal as his power faded. The... _other_ keyblade still hovered in mid-air, as if it was watching the boy. I swear I could hear it laughing before it faded too.

"Sora, let's go, I ne..." Then he collapsed. Oh, good. Now I have to drag him too. Just my luck. I worked my way around fixing myself first, as I wouldn't carry anything back anywhere if I couldn't stand because of the pain. Healing spells were never my forte, but it would have to do. All those questions would have to wait until Sora wakes up. Almost healed up and picking Sora from the ground, I started making my way back to the castle, still wondering what just happened. The memory of a certain mouse warning us made it's way back to me, making me take back my words from our last meeting. But oh, he owned me some answers too. And I would get them. One way or the other.

**~~##~~**

?

Oh honey, I'm home ~

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Major funzies and giggles writing this chapter. Mickey is in so much trouble :x Never piss off Kairi and her motherly ways! Also, I'm not even sorry for that cliffhanger. You guys deserved that for not reviewing like my Nutella Man over there. *waves*

By the way, this story has over **3****00 regular** **readers **so far. Like I said before, I'm honored. But please, review. This is my first experience showing my work to anyone at all and I would deeply appreciate the reviews. Or just PM me. Seriously, what are your thoughts on this? *stares*

'Till next week!


	6. Chapter 6 - Falling

Did I mention that Mickey is turning out to be a major jackass in this fic? It's really not on purpose, but it has to happen. Maybe it will all fall in place later on, who knows? There are many questions left behind. But hey, that's how I do stuff. The story will progress a lot in the next 2 chapters and some stuff will be explained. My little story here will have quite the ending, can't wait to get all chapters out and finish this!

For Akatosh's sake, review! (Ha! Game references!)

Enjoy ~

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Chapter 6. Falling

Riku

Good lord, Sora grew a lot. He's so heavy! My ribs are hurting and carrying him on my back wasn't helping my already screwed up healing. My magic did it's job, fixing whatever it could, but I was no master in the healing arts, so I was still bleeding and pretty much in pain. Most of my physical burdens fell short of the questions racing through my mind. First, Sora was acting weird, distant and his sadness was almost unbearble from time to time. He never acted like this, unless there was a good reason. If I had to guess, it was because of Donald and Goofy. Both were acting weird, distancing themselves from Sora, which was something he couldn't understand seeing they were close friends not too long ago.

Then, out of nowhere, he agrees to spar with me going all out. During all our training sessions, both now and before everything happened and we left the island, he always said he would never fight a friend for real. He just couldn't do it. At first, I thought him agreeing with me was a good thing. He would be able to let out some of the pressure, relax a little. Now I'm beginning to understand why he did it. He wasn't just sad and depressed at the thought of losing a few of his closest friends for a reason he didn't even know, making him helpless. It also made him beyond angry. He was furious at... well, everyone. Mickey was being overly secretive about all this and it really wasn't helping. Queen Minnie did little to interfere, too. Kairi, of course, caught up faster than everyone else and she gave lots of attention to him. They were all in good spirit, but it didn't really help. The problem wasn't lack of attention or affection.

Sora felt like he was being left behind.

Now it all made sense. Him being sad and depressed. I can only imagine how it must have felt to be left behind in the first place. We were so young back then and I still blame myself for it. But Sora had it worse. He blamed himself, thinking he was weak. I'm sure that he faced all his challenges so far with the notion he needed to be stronger. Stronger for all of us, so he could walk beside us, as equals. Little did he know he was so far ahead, we were the ones struggling to keep up.

Now this, this... sickening new "power" of his. A second keyblade, twisted, dark and full of ill intentions. I have to hold back a shiver every time I think about it. To think how it's affecting Sora, how he became so violent and attacked me with no hesitation and how he acquired that in the first place. It had something to do with Mickey going on his little private journey, I just knew it. At this point, I wouldn't hesitate to beat the answers out of that little mouse. He didn't deserve my respect anymore, not after messing with our lifes like this.

As I approached the castle, walking slowly with an unconscious Sora on my back, the guards quickly spotted us and sounded some sort of trumpet, letting our presence know to the rest of the residents. Quickly, everyone gathered at the front gate to greet us. Kairi looked somehow optimistic, probably thinking we would have vented out our frustrations as we fought. Donald and Goofy stood there, still avoiding direct eye contact, hesitating to greet us. As we neared the entrance, everyone spotted Sora on my back, my wounds and my tattered clothes. The guards looked alarmed, quickly going out of the castle to scort us in while watching our surroundings for any signs of enemy activity. Not like they stood a chance against a pack of heartless. Kairi, on the other hand, looked absolutely horrified.

"Wha... What happened? Weren't you just training?" She looked worriedly from my wounds and the bruise marks forming to Sora. She began petting his head, trying to bring him some comfort of sorts. Goofy and Donald snapped out of their little guilt trip, hurrying to our side. They tried say something, worried about us, but the glare I gave them probably stopped any words from coming out of their mouths. Looking to Kairi, I tried explaining everything.

"Yes, we were. But something happened. I'll explain later, once Sora's awake. We both need a healer." That being said, I looked at Donald. "Do your job, court wizard." My tone was dripping with my anger towards him. Maybe it was misguided, but I couldn't help but resent him, Goofy and Mickey. They probably had something to do with this, along with their little secret.

Donald looked angry for a second, before giving in and casting a proper Curaga spell, washing our pains away. I could feel my body stitching itself together, a relaxing sensation rising from within me, thanks to the magic. The duck quietly mumbled "There, done." and walked away, with no further attempts to help or speak. Goofy on the other hand still stood there, eyes glazed on Sora, looking like he was about to cry. He was soft for such a strong fellow. I perked Sora up, fixing my grip on him, than proceeded to carry him to his room, Kairi following me. We walked silently, only speaking after she closed the bedroom's door behind us and Sora was properly placed on his bed.

"Explain. Now." She placed her hands on her hips and looked at the with a frown, her tone was demanding, but worrying. She was acting motherly again. I felt tired and I really needed a rest, explaining something I didn't even know wasn't the plan here. Sighing, I tried my best to comply to her wishes.

"Kairi, I would explain if I knew what happened. We were training, but something happened." I looked at Sora, searching his sleepy face for any signs of the anger he displayed before. "Sora snapped. I think all this pressure got to him." Kairi lost her composure and slumped down on a chair "We have to wait until he wakes up to know more." I glanced at Sora again, watching him sleep peacefully.

"I knew this would happen." Kairi was stressed out herself and the situation didn't make it any better. Perhaps I shouldn't have told her anything. "Well, let's wait until Sora wakes up. I don't know what else to do at this point, too." She said tiredly, massaging her temples.

"Oh, I know what I'll do until he wakes up." I was angry and I would demand answers, I don't care from who. Kairi perked up a little to watch me.

"You do?" She asked, curiosity written all over her face.

"I will bash a few faces in and get some answers. I'm done waiting." As I stormed out the room, Kairi quickly followed, saying I should be patient, that it wasn't really their fault. I didn't listen and I really didn't care. We weren't guests in this castle, we were prisoners. They weren't my friends anymore. I had no problem hurting an enemy when I needed some answers. As I stomped down the hallway, not really caring about bumping into any of the servants, I saw Donald and Goofy in the courtyard.

"Kairi, stay with Sora." I said emotionlessly. I didn't hesitate to jump out the window. We were on the third floor, but I didn't care, I would get my answers. Landing softly, producing almost no sound, I made my way towards them, leaving Kairi behind. As I was about to say something, I noticed they were speaking to King Mickey using some sort of device, a holographic image of the mouse standing there. I hid behind the bushes, listening in their conversation.

"My king, Sora has shown the signs!" A very worried goof said. In fact, he was so nervous he didn't even speak in his usual manner. His overly polite tone was something unnatural to hear in his voice. What signs are they talking about, anyway?

"Yes, he arrived unconscious not too long ago." The duck continued "He must've passed out from the sudden outburst of power." He placed his wing on his chin, pensative "He probably couldn't control it either." I was fuming with anger, they knew about it but didn't tell us anything! How dare they do this?!

"I'm almost there. In case he wakes up before I arrive, don't let him out of the castle. I found what I wanted and I'm bringing back results. I'll see you in a while." King Mickey answered, then the light from the device dimmed and dissapeared, leaving no trace of him. Goofy and Donald sighed, both feeling something akin to relief, I'll guess, now that their King is coming back to it's Kingdom. I would question him too, in time, but now I had two really secretive "friends" to "tenderly question" about the situation. Clenching my fist, I walked out of my hiding spot, glaring at the two. They were surprised and looked alarmed.

"So... somehow, all of you knew that this would happen." My tone showed no emotion, as cold as I could make it. Goofy had his mouth open but no sound came while Donald tried to say something but I cut him off "And the best part is... " I placed one hand on my hip while the other gestured in an easy manner, my expression calm and my eyes partially closed, my voice also gave nothing away "... you didn't tell us a thing." I opened my eyes fully and glared at them, studying their increasing uneasiness " Now you want to make us prisoners until your so called King returns and decides what to do with us." My hands were at my sides, formed into knuckles.

"No, you don't understand. It's nothing like that! King Mickey will – " Donald tried to say, but I cut him off again. I didn't care about their reasoning anymore. I gave them a chance months ago and they wasted it. I would have my answers one way or the other.

"Listen here, court wizard. You betrayed us. You too, knight. " I looked at Goofy, who couldn't even look at me. "Most importantly, you forfeit your friendship with Sora. You left him alone and it hurt him bad. I don't know what happened to him, but you do." I summoned Soul-Eater and pointed it's sharp end towards the two. They took a step back, surprised and afraid. "And you better start giving me answers." As I continued to glare, making my point clear, they raised their hands in defense, Goofy finally looking up to me, meeting my eyes. He took a step back, afraid of me, but started talking.

"Ahyuk... It's uhh... Complicated. It only happened once before. King Mickey will explain once he gets here –" Again with this blabbering about waiting. I was sick and tired of it and cut him off, not giving him a chance to continue.

"Let me make myself clear. You either tell me everything you know willingly, or I'll make you" As I said that, I gathered darkness at my blade and around me, feeling it's cold seeping through me, giving me strength. Finally, they realised I wouldn't back down and looking defeated, Donald sighed.

"I'm sorry Riku, but we just can't tell you anything right now" The duck clearly didn't understand my intentions. I conjured even more darkness and prepared to attack.

"So be it. You chose this." As I readied my weapon and was about to leap foward to strike him down or badly injure him so I could drag him off somewhere to ask my questions, Kairi appeared at the window on the third floor, shouting at us.

"Riku! Sora is awakening!" She looked rather reliefed, her lips forming a smile. It quickly left her as she noticed the darkness surrounding me and how I was pointing my weapon at the duo in front of me. "Leave them alone! Come stay by Sora's side!" She yelled again, now dissapearing inside the castle. I sighed and looked at the two again, still glaring.

"This is far from over, traitors." I let go of the darkness and Soul-Eater, letting them fall back into my heart where they belonged. They tried to argue, but again I gave them no time nor did I pay any mind to what they were saying, quickly running towards the nearest flight of stairs, ascending and heading towards my friends. I was still boiling in anger, feeling betrayed and deceived by the few I trusted other than Sora and Kairi. I can only imagine how Sora must have been feeling all this time.

**~~##~~**

Sora

I can't feel anything. Where am I? How did I get here? Why does it feel like I'm falling? When will I reach the end of this? My eyes are open but all I see is darkness. Looking down, I see my own body, also made of darkness but still it is somehow contrasting against the background, as if my dark was... special or different, clearly visible to me. But... where is this? And...

Who... Am I?

A misterious voice, resonating inside my head as if it was my own, yet so different, came to life to answer my questions.

"... you are the light..."

The light? So why am I so... black and devoid of meaning?

"... what you see now isn't you..."

Then what is this?

"...It's me..."

But... That doesn't make sense! I can't be someone else and me at the sime time! Who are you? Why is this happening? I can't even remember how I got here! Am I dead? I need to go back... I need to...

"... To do what? Go back to where? You belong nowhere... You're the one left behind... Sora"

Suddenly, all my memories magically fell back in place at the sound of my name. The very beginning of my life up until the present. The beach, the sun, the ocean, the breeze and all things I held dear to my heart came to life in my mind, shining and shoving away the darkness enveloping my body. I stopped falling and stepped on solid ground, a circular glass mosaic display of me with a sleepy expression, details revealing themselves slowly as the light emanating from me worked it's magic, until the panel was completely exposed. A shadowy being was circling me, a reminscent of my previous dark form, quickly passing by the ground, completing the artwork and giving it a more sober, dark look. It looked weird now that I wasn't the only figure on the ground. Rather, there was a shadow there, staring at my tired expression with something akin to some sort of twisted curiosity, almost as it was angry. I could feel the keyblade's presence there too, rumming impatiently around my heart ready to spring into action if I needed it, but there was no reason to call it. Still, it made it's will true by materializing itself on my hand regardless of my unwillingness to call it, producing some more light in this dark place. The little shadow stopped revealing the details of the ground and merged with it, rising again a few moments later with a body of it's own. I was completely taken back by it's form. It was as if it were a heartless, but it felt different. His body was much like Riku's, slender, tall and appeared to be strong. He was made of pure dark, yes, but his eyes... they were blue. They felt unnatural and didn't quite fit his figure. It felt like... my own eyes were copied and placed on him. Weird. Seeing the keyblade, he said.

"Oh, the keyblade is here already? I hoped I would have some alone time with you" His voice was the same that was talking before, but now it came from outside rather than inside my own head. He sounded friendly and easy going. I couldn't help but stare, hands tight over the keyblade's hilt, not knowing what to do or say. He chuckled, noticing how nervous I was.

"No need to look so tense, Sora. I'm not going to hurt you... " He shrugged and sighed in an easy manner, before looking at me with unspoken intentions behind his eyes "... too much." Merging with the ground again, he appeared behind me in an instant, giving me almost no time to react to whatever it is he was planning to do. He just poked my shoulder lightly and laughed, watching me dash foward trying to create some distance between us, failing to evade his strike. I only noticed what he did after he already did it. It was too fast for me to keep up.

"Oh you silly, I'm in no hurry. You see... "he gestured around, looking to the ground and mentioning me to look as well "I already made myself comfortable. And might I add, it feels good to be home." He smiled, placing his hands on his hips. As I looked down, I realized how much the mosaic had changed. It was like the creature belonged there, no longer being just another detail but rather a large part of it. It was unnerving me, I had no clue what it meant or why it was there. This was supossed to be a shining representation of my heart or... something like that. He didn't belong there. Gathering whatever courage I had and feeling the support of the keyblade's power, I managed to ask.

"Who are you?" Looking up to his eyes, I continued. "Why... are you here?" As he stared back into my eyes, he lost his relaxed composure in the process, his eyes looking... sad. The emotion was quickly discarted, as he merely laughed again and instantly appeared in front of me, poking my forehead, a bright smile on his face.

"It's a secret!" His finger left a tingling sensation on my forehead, making me feel numb again all of a sudden, as if I would start falling again, shrouded by darkness. The background was fading and so was the scenery, along with the dark thing standing in front of me. I tried to hang on to the keyblade and my consciousness, desperatly in need of answers, but it was to no avail. I fell to the ground silently and slowly, as if the air was so dense it could hold my fall, and he continued.

"Time to wake up, sleepy head!" His eyes had a tinge of playfulness, contrasting with the everlasting darkness he was. That was all I could see before everything faded again and a blinding light came to life.

* * *

So, I decided to cut this chapter here. There's a LOT of information to take in and I thought it would be better to leave you guys in another cliffhanger. Again, I'm not even sorry. But hey, it's on good intentions! Otherwise, this chapter would be too long and rather... tedious to read.

Next chapter: Fighting amongst friends, Sora and Mickey try to get it together and Kairi (finally) has her moment under the spotlight.

Foxys signing out.

P.S.: Reviewers tend to get my undying love in return for their services. Just sayin'


	7. Chapter 7 - Arrivals

Well, due to the lack of response, I think I'll cut this story short. I had a much larger story arc planned, but as I said before, I really don't know what to expect. This fic has a ton of readers, the big majority doesn't voice their opinions at all, which saddens me. Perhaps in the future I'll use the ideas I had in mind. I do apologize for the delay, but I've been having a ton of work to do lately plus my personal life isn't going all that well, which sorta explains it.

Expect 4 or 5 more chapters, that's as far as I'll go with this.

**Virgofox28: **My brother from another mother. I appreciate the review. I'm not proof-reading the chapters due to the lack of time to do it. I apologize. *brofist*

Without further delay, here's the 7th chapter.

* * *

Chapter 7. Arrivals

Sora

My head is all fuzzy from that dream, though I suppose waking up so fast and almost falling from the bed must have something to do with it. Wait... I'm on a bed? When did I get here? While my eyes were still adjusting to the sudden brightness, I still managed to take in my surroundings. My room was spacious, a table with four chairs around it on the middle. The windows were opened, the curtains gently moving according to the breeze that was coming in. My bed was bigger than the one in my own room, so I suppose I was taken here in a hurry or to be taken care of, perhaps. My friends were nowhere to be seen and judging by the light, it was almost the end of the day. Wait... Wasn't I supposed to... Oh, the sparring with Riku... And that strange feeling of unbound anger and unlimited power. Oh god, did I hurt him?!

Just as I was about to crawl my way out of bed to look for him, the door to my room bursts open with a teary Kairi standing in the doorway, her hands covering her mouth. Judging by her reaction, it must have been bad.

"Hey, Kairi, wh—" she cut me off, pouncing me, making the wood from the bed creak from stress, the mattress bouncing, her arms around me, hugging me tightly and crying a little, taking shaky breaths every now and then. After a while, she spoke.

"Don't you dare scare me like that again!" she said, looking up to me with her pretty face all red, tears falling down. Man, you just can't say no to that.

"It's ok, Kairi. I promise I'll never do that again."I managed to smile, wiping her falling tears from her cheeks. "Where's Riku? I gotta talk to him." I asked, looking around. I helped Kairi get on her feet and off the bed, she fixed the sheets and I was now sitting down on the bed. She was about to answer when Riku showed up, panting, Goofy and Donald following soon after.

"Speak of the devil." Kairi said, chuckling. Riku looked somewhat reliefed, but he had this tense aura to him, like he was about to jump in on a fight. Goofy and Donald looked worried, but Riku wouldn't let them through the door, his arm blocking them. He turned around and said.

"Give us some privacy, both of you, we'll continue our... conversation... later." I couldn't see his face, but I swear he was being hostile towards the other two. What happened while I was asleep?

"Ahyuk, we want to see if Sora is okay, Riku!" Goofy said, looking over Riku's shoulder and fixing his gaze on me. I smiled a little and waved, but I still felt somewhat sad because of their unusual behavior on the last couple of months. Betrayed, even. I really didn't want to explain anything to them, a headache creeping at the corners of my mind just by thinking about it. First, Riku and Kairi deserved some answers, even if I felt like I didn't really have them.

"I... reckon you three need some... alone time, right?" Goofy said, still looking at me. Was he expecting me to say it was okay for them to come in? Well, too bad. I could barely stand up, much less endure the sad and worried looks on their faces. They have been avoiding me for so long, it wouldn't hurt to wait a little more.

"Yes, Goofy, thank you." I said, my smile unwavering despite the tight feeling on my chest. Donald began to protest but, as usual when he's angry, he doesn't make much sense. Riku ignored him and closed the door, locking it behind him. Sighing, he turned around, one of his hands massaging his temples and the other on his hips.

"Alright, Sora, mind explaining what happened?" He said, fixing his gaze on me. His tone wasn't accusatory nor questioning, he was just curious and worried, it seemed. He was a good friend, after all. Kairi shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her hands behind her back and nervously looking at me. Oh man, it must have been pretty bad.

"Uhm... About the fight, right?" My hands were tightly holding the sheets covering my lower body. I was afraid to tell them the truth.

"Yes, the fight." Riku said, his tone giving nothing away. "And how you suddently got a crazy power up and broke two of my ribs." My eyes went wide and I looked at him. He looked fine, maybe he used a Curaga spell. But healing wasn't his specialty, by far, so it must have took him a while. How long was I out? I don't remember hurting him, much less breaking his bones. Kairi gasped, taken back by the sudden revelation. So she didn't know too. Looking down in shame, my knuckles white from my hold over the sheets, I tried my best to explain.

"Look, Riku..." I looked up and found his eyes, wanting for answers but not judgmental, inciting me to proceed. Sighing, I continued. "I felt angry, okay? Really, really angry. After feeling like this for so long, I didn't know what to do. It's like I forgot how it is to be at ease. To relax and let loose, enjoy the breeze, you know?" I flopped back down the bed, giving up on sitting down. My head was starting to spin, trying to make sense of all the thoughts that I had to voice. "I think that it somehow affected the keyblade too... Or maybe not. When ... "it"... happened, all I felt was anger, like nothing else existed, and power. So much power, Riku. It felt like I could do anything. Past that, everything goes blank, except..." Remembering the dream, my head really started to spin around. It was making me feel sick.

"Except what?" Riku said, sitting down on the bed and putting his hand on my forehead. It was comforting and it helped with the nausea. It would be unfair if I didn't tell him, and Kairi, the rest of it. She, too, sat down on the other side of the bed and looked at me.

"You can tell us anything, Sora, we're your friends." She hit the nail there. We were friends. Best friends. We had each others back and I felt like it was only expected that I felt so comfortable around them. I realized there was no need for secrets here.

"Except for my dream." I closed my eyes, because it felt like I wouldn't be able to look at them while I told them everything, every detail I could remember. It wasn't fear of rejection, I just felt comfortable that way. "I was made of some sort of darkness, falling in an abyss. I had no memory of who I was or how I ended up there, until a voice called to me."

"The keyblade?" Riku asked from my side. Judging by the shift in the sheets, Kairi and him were now laying down next to me, just like when we were little. I could feel their warmth and it made me feel safe.

"No. It was something else. I really don't know what or how it got there, but it feels like it was always a part of me. Like something I ignored for so long I forgot it was there. He looked like a heartless, but he had my eyes. Blue eyes. When I tried questioning him for answers, he played around with me."

"So you had a fight with this thing? In your dream?" Kairi asked, her voice expressing her worry. Perhaps she knew what those dreams meant for keyblade wielders, being one herself for a time, not to mention also a Princess of Heart.

"It wasn't much of a fight. He was fast and I could barely keep up. He just toyed with me, poking my shoulder and my forehead. Once I asked him who he was and what was he doing there, in my dream, he looked... sad, almost. Then he said something about how good it felt to be back. To be home." I opened my eyes again and I noticed by the orange light coming in from the open window, the day was over and the servants would being preparing dinner. Soon, the smell of delicious dishes being prepared would fill the air. Time seemed to fly while I shared my thoughts. I glanced sideways, watching Riku's reaction to my story.

"Hmm..." He was thinking, one hand on his chin and the other behind his head in a comfortable position while he laid down. Looking the other way, I saw Kairi staring back at me, her eyes curious. Maybe she had a hunch, like she always did.

"Something on your mind, Kairi?" I asked her, poking her nose. She chuckled, waving her hand in front of her face to keep me from doing it again.

"I was thinking... The thing said it was good to be 'home', right?"

"Yeah, it said 'feels good to be home' or something. Why?" Where was she going with this? Her eyes lit up, her hand now resting on her chin like Riku. However, she was interrupted before she could say anything, much to her displeasure.

"What she wants to say, Sora, is that by he...or she... or it saying it's good to be home, it implies that it was there to begin with." Riku said, glancing sideways.

"Smartass" Kairi said, showing her tongue. Riku chuckled and continued.

"It implies that whatever darkness this is, you were born with it or at least it manifested itself in you a long time ago, only to be pushed back." Riku finished. Wow, I didn't think about that. But... what does that mean? I'm not a dark person and the only source of my power is the keyblade. I could feel it's warmth resonating near my heart, agreeing with me. Then it hit me, a cold sensation, the direct opposite of the keyblade manifested itself at the borders of my heart. Instinctively, I placed my hand over my chest. The keyblade overcame that sensation quickly, leaving only it's presence near my heart. That was weird.

"I... see..." I said, unsure of what to think. Kairi seemed to have an idea, at least I thought, our conversation being interrupted by Donald opening the door. Riku glared his way and got up the bed, his fists clenched beside him.

"Listen here, duck, I told you to give us some privacy. We are discussing matters that no longer have anything to do with you." He said, pointing a finger at him. All of this scene seemed so strange to me. How did we go from friends, brothers in arms and companions to enemies? It doesn't fit. Donald wasn't impressed or at least he didn't show. His wings crossed in front of him, he responded.

"I came here by the order of the King. Otherwise, I would've left you to whatever it is you're doing." He said, unimpressed by Riku's attitude. "He has returned and wishes to speak to Sora. Alone." At the sound of that, Kairi shot up and was making her way to the door, most likely to shut it on Donald's face. I got up and held her hand, her eyes staring back at mine. Donald was being polite. Too polite.

"It's ok, you guys." I looked at them with a small smile on my face. "I'll be back before you know it!" It was a fake smile and they knew it. I'm scared to know the truth. Was I becoming the enemy I fought for so long? The darkness? A heartless? If Mickey came back, he would've answers, he promised us before he left. I would hear them and then decide what to make of all this. Even though it pains me, I had to do it alone. It was my problem, my... darkness. I noticed I was dressed in pijamas, I made my way to the dresser and found my clothes there. Changing in the bathroom, I washed my face and made my way out of the room, being watched by Kairi and Riku. As I was about to leave and follow Donald, Riku held my hand.

"You can always count on us." He said, his hands slightly tight over mine. Kairi also shook her head and gave me a thumbs up with a smile of her own. Sheesh, I have really good friends, don't I?

"I know, dummy." I said, flicking a finger on his forehead and quickly leaving the room, laughing at his protests and attempts to follow me for payback being foiled by Kairi holding him back. I owe her one for that save.

Glancing foward, I saw Donald walking down the hallway and towards the library, an unusual place to meet Mickey, as he always held his audiences in the throne room. I felt like I should ask him about everything, his and Goofy's behaviour the last couple of months, but I didn't. I guess they'll explain themselves when they think the time is right. Doesn't mean I have to like it, though. The walk was silent for most of the way, sometimes a servant or two passed by carrying dishes toward the dining hall, the smell of freshly made food filling the castle. Judging by it, it would be a delicious dinner. As we approached the doors that led to the library, Donald glanced back.

"Look, Sora... About what's happening... I just wanted you to know it's not what it looks like." The duck said, opening the doors and gesturing me to go in. "We're still your friends. Always will be." He finished. I quietly made my way in, thinking about the meaning of his words. As Donald closed the door behind me, I had a chance to take in the details of the library, as I didn't really go here except to fetch Kairi for dinner or something. It had big shelves with all sorts of books in the most different fields of expertise lined up and organized. Small magical torches replaced the regular ones, I'm sure it was to prevent possible fire hazards. Along the corridors, chairs and tables with their own little magical candles were free for anyone to use. I got snapped back to reality by a tall man with long silver hair, broad shoulders and a slim figure standing near one of those said tables, glancing down a book that happened to be there, uninterested. And it wasn't Riku.

"What are you doing here... Sephiroth?" I blurted out, summoning the keyblade and into my battle stance. He wouldn't catch me by surprise this time. He looked over his shoulder, his eyes giving nothing away except his boredom. Did he really think I wasn't a match for him? Was he planning on attacking the castle? It didn't suit him at all. He never looked for a fight, he was the type that waited for the fight to come to him, only to ultimately crush his opponents. He chuckled, his deep voice echoing throughout the corridors of the library.

"I'm not here as an enemy, child. I'm here as a guest of your king." He moved side ways, mentioning me to look behind him. Mickey was there, tapping one of his fingers on the table, nervously. "You can think of me as... an advisor, of sorts." He chuckled once more. It sent chills down my spine. The king didn't look so amuzed by his presence as Sephiroth made it out to be. He was the only one laughing.

"All in due time, Sephiroth. If you may, I wish to speak to Sora in private." He glanced at me, moving a chair and mentioning for me to sit down. I complied, watching all of Sephiroths movements closely, looking for any signs of hostility. So far, he was relaxed. Too relaxed. Watching my every move, he began humming, one of his hands over his chin in a pensative manner.

"I will obey this time, King. However, I must say that I feel... something else inside him besides the keyblade." Was he... talking about the heartless inside me? How could he know? Mickey sighed, saying nothing and motioning for the other man to leave the room. Sephiroth took his leave and when he closed the door behind me, the King sat down and looked at me, his fingers crossed together on top of the table.

"Okay, Sora, I think I owe you some answers. Ask anything you want and I promise I'll do my best to answer."

Oh boy, where to begin?

**~~##~~**

Kairi

As soon as Sora left the room, my chest tightened and I felt cold. He was so... confused and lost. But he still trusted us, enough to tell us so many things personal to him, like this weird dream he had. Riku was sitting down on a fancy chair across the room, quietly tapping his fingers or placing one of his hands on his chin. He does that when he's deep in thought, it's kind of cute, to be honest. But right now, all it did was annoy me.

"Oh, spill it out already!" I said, crossing my arms in front of me. If I didn't act tough a little bit, he would end up humming to himself all day long. He snapped out of it, a little surprised, losing his composure for a moment, quickly regaining it and grinning, scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry, I did it again, didn't I?" Smiling, he looked at me. "It's just that... what Sora is going through seems a lot like what I did when the darkness, you know... chose me. I bet he's feels cold from time to time." Riku clenched his fists in front of him, his elbows resting on his knees and his head down. "But it doesn't make sense. Sora is a keyblade wielder, a damn good one, and his heart is pure. He is... I don't know to put it..."

"Pure light." I said. He looked up to me, raising his head.

"Yeah..." He looked down again, slowly opening his palms. I could see he summoned two little orbs of darkness which were floating around in little circles on top of his hands, sometimes zig-zaging through his fingers. "It's not easy to handle the darkness. It took me a while to understand it's nature, even more to master it." The orbs vanished, Riku looking up. "I wish he doesn't have to go through the same, Kairi."

"I know, I don't want him to suffer just as much as you do. But... He's strong, Riku. If he has to go through it, he'll do it and come out unscathed, I'm sure of it!" I couldn't help but smile. He was too much of a hard headed dummy to listen to anyone, much less to the darkness. Riku gave me his signature grin, standing up and going to the door.

"Yeah, and we'll be there for him if he needs us." He said, looking my way over his shoulder. It saddened me to see him leaving so soon, but I guess he needed time to think. He enjoyed being alone just as much as he did being around me and Sora, I couldn't hold him here just because I had doubts of my own.

"We will." I gave him a thumbs up and watched him smile and leave, closing the door behind him. I waited for a while, attentive to the sound of his footsteps. When they finally stopped. I grinned and spinned on my heels, arms open wide.

"Now... Time to practice some more!" I said to myself, with no reason in particular.

I summoned my keyblade and immediatly began casting the spells I've been reading about in the Library, carefuly aiming them as not to damage anything. Most projecticles flew for a while before disappearing, giving me plenty of room in case I had bad aim. For the last couple of mounths, I've been practicing all kinds of magics in secrecy. I even managed to bring out the keyblade whenever I wanted now, instead of only in situations of life and death like before. It would be a big surprise to the boys when they find out! I shot another Firaga spell, smilling to myself as it flew and dissapeared, followed by a small scale Gravity spell. It was too much fun!

**~~##~~**

Riku

I could feel a dark presence inside the castle. It was powerful and dense, which left me with only one person in mind. Sephiroth is here, for some reason. Things looked peaceful enough for now, but what if it was about to change? I have to find him, fast. When I gained some distance from the room Kairi was in, I began sprinting down the hallway and in the direction I felt his presence coming from. It was only a matter of time before I stumbled upon him. He was... strangely calm, leaning over the balcony and staring out a window that gave view to the gardens. I stood there, analyzing what was this bizarre scene in front of me. It didn't suit him at all, to be this defenseless. His eyes lazily trailed sideways, spotting me.

"Are you going to stare for how long, boy?" He said in a bored tone. It really irritated me how he always seemed to underestimate us. Summoning Soul Eater, I pointed it's sharp end to him and glared.

"Why are you here? You better start explaining." He gathered himself, standing upright in his usual prideful manner.

"What if I don't? Will you force me?" He was staring back, smirking, waiting for a challenge. If he wanted one, I would give him one.

"It'll be my pleasure to wipe that smile off your face." I dashed foward, meeting his blade. As we stared off one another, darkness began engulfing our bodies. His own was manifested in his black wing, while mine circled around me protectively. I won't back down. I'll protect this castle, Sora and Kairi even if it kills me.

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So, shorter parts for Riku and Kairi since Sora's chapter is almost 2.900 words long or something. I don't like writing big chapters so I'm leaving the multiple cliffhangers for you people to hate. Also, this is the first chapter to go over 4000 words. Yay.

Review, yadda yadda. At this point, I'm really not expecting it anymore.

See you next time.


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